Reproductive Rights Around the World & New and Old Medical Advances
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Phage Therapy - What’s Old is New Again
With the rapid development of antibiotics in the 1930s, phage therapy – using viruses known as bacteriophages or phages to tackle bacterial infections – fell into oblivion. But as the current rise in antibiotic resistance is making it increasingly difficult to treat bacterial infections, phage therapy is once again sparking interest among physicians and scientists – although it remains complex in practice because of the great diversity and specificity of phages.
Against this backdrop, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm, the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) and Université Paris Cité have developed a simple and effective new tool that recommends the best possible phage cocktail for a given patient. They did so by developing and training an artificial intelligence model capable of making a tailored selection of phages based solely on the genome of the targeted bacteria. The results of this research, published on October 31, 2024 in the journal Nature Microbiology, pave the way for personalized phage therapies to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. (Pasteur Institut)
Alzheimer’s In A Dish
A decade ago, researchers introduced a new model for studying Alzheimer’s disease. Known as “Alzheimer’s in a dish,” the model uses cultures of mature brain cells suspended in a gel to recapitulate what takes place in the human brain over 10 to 13 years in just six weeks. But does the model truly produce the same changes that take place in patients? In a new study, researchers from Mass General Brigham, in collaboration with colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), created an algorithm to assess, in an unbiased manner, how well models of Alzheimer’s disease mimic the function and gene expression patterns seen in patients’ brains. Their results, published in Neuron, identify crucial shared pathways, confirming that the Alzheimer’s in a dish model can be used to assess new drugs accurately and rapidly as well as point the way to drug discovery. Uber cool!! (Mass General)
Long COVID and Brain Fog - Explained
In long COVID, lower pulmonary gas exchange may be associated with impaired cognitive function.
Lower gas exchange was also associated with lower gray matter and white matter volumes and increased cerebral blood flow.
Approximately 17.6% of adults in the U.S. have experienced long COVID.
Researchers from the University of Iowa in Iowa City set out to assess associations between pulmonary MRI gas exchange, structural and functional brain MRI, and cognition in long COVID patients. In pulmonary gas exchange, oxygen moves from the lungs to the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide moves from the bloodstream to the lungs.
For the study, 10 female and 2 male patients (median age: 59 years) who had persistent dyspnea and/or fatigue following the resolution of acute COVID-19 infection were recruited from a post-COVID-19 clinic. Hyperpolarized Xe pulmonary MRI, structural and functional brain MRI, pulmonary function tests and cognitive tests were acquired. 129Xe MRI allows for advanced measurements of ventilation and gas exchange.
Perceived cognitive difficulties were measured using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, and objective cognitive performance was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Toolbox V3 Cognition Battery.
The results showed that lower pulmonary gas exchange may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, as well as lower gray matter and white matter volumes in patients with long COVID. In addition, the researchers observed significant relationships suggesting that increased cerebral blood flow is associated with decreased gas exchange in long COVID patients. (Radiological Society of America)
Reproductive Rights World Wide
The other day I was wondering where in the world does a woman have a right to choose. Here is a good Wikipedia source article on the subject.
While abortions are legal at least under certain conditions in almost all countries, these conditions vary widely. According to a United Nations (UN) report with data gathered up to 2019, abortion is allowed in 98% of countries in order to save a woman's life. Other commonly-accepted reasons are preserving physical (72%) or mental health (69%), in cases of rape or incest (61%), and in cases of fetal impairment (61%). Performing an abortion because of economic or social reasons is accepted in 37% of countries. Performing abortion only on the basis of a woman's request is allowed in 34% of countries, including in Canada, most European countries and China. (UN Report - 2017)
More and more countries are moving towards recognizing that reproductive Rights are between a woman and her healthcare provider.
Mexico, a generally Catholic country, removed the federal law banning abortion. It is true that some states have restrictions but most do not. In fact many women from the U.S. travel there for an abortion.
Spain and Portugal, also Catholic countries, allow abortion. In fact, the reason that Portugal made it legal was that recently in a single year 14 women died as the result of abortions performed outside of normal medical channels. They decided that reducing maternal mortality was far more important.
The United States and Poland are the two countries that have reneged on a Woman’s right to choose.
There is a real problem getting enough people to stand up to the oppressive hacks in our government who think it is okay to subjugate women.
My own Congressional representative, Marie Gluesnkamp Perez, favors a right to choose and has had an abortion, but I hear precious little from her about trying to move it forward in the Congress and helping women nationwide.
The point is that the Women’s Health Protection Act that would restore the right to an abortion, nationwide, needs to be brought up for a vote in both houses of Congress.
Let’s remind our elected reps that we are still watching and that their jobs are at stake.
At this point I don’t care how impossible it seems to pass the WHPA. We need long loud voices calling for reproductive freedom = reproductive health = lower maternal mortality = women as full citizens with bodily autonomy.
ACTION
Send the text message SIGN PYQMAZ to RESISTBOT at 50409 to send this email to your Congressperson and Senators. If you’d like to talk to or email them you can use the message below as a template and find their phone/email here, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that the state of reproductive health in the U.S. is abysmal. Did you know that 34% of the world’s countries offer abortion on demand? Did you know that Portugal, a Catholic country, recently made abortion legal TO CUT DOWN THE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE? 14 women died there in one year due to botched illegal abortions and they said ENOUGH.
That’s what I want you do do - STAND UP AND SAY ENOUGH OVER AND OVER. It is high time for you to do everything in your power to restore the right to an abortion nationwide. I want to hear you publicly call for a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act - OVER AND OVER until it get’s passed and women are again full citizens with bodily autonomy. I hope you know how important this is to so many women in this country. They are watching you and so am I.”
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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Thank you for all the information and ways to act.